The sermon by Bro. John Eko focuses on the importance of setting one's affections on godly matters rather than worldly distractions, emphasizing that the affections of Christians should be directed towards God, Jesus, the Bible, the church, fellow believers, and the lost. It warns against the dangers of self-love, sinful pleasures, and the pursuit of money, which can lead to spiritual downfall. Ultimately, the message highlights the powerful impact of our affections on our eternal destination and encourages believers to make conscious choices to prioritize their spiritual lives.

1. CHURCH OF CHRIST,
SANGOTEDO
WHERE DO YOU SET
YOUR AFFECTIONS?
Colossians 3:1-2
A Sermon
Presented by Bro. John Eko
16 July 2016

2. WHERE DO YOU SET YOUR
AFFECTIONS?

3. Introduction
 Everyone has his affections set on something.
 The affections of the Christian are fixed on
things that are different from those of the
world.
 This seems strange to those in the world and
they “think it strange that ye run not with
them into the same excess of riot” (1 Peter
4:4).
 Worldly affections will bring about the loss of
one’s soul.

4. SELF TOO HIGHLY
 Paul wrote to those in Rome, “to every
man that is among you, not to think of
himself more highly than he ought to
think” (Rom12:3).
 Paul stated that in the last days “men
shall be lovers of self...haughty...” (2
Tim 3:2- 5, 7).
 Jesus said, “If any man would come after
me, let him deny himself, and take up his
cross, and follow me” ( Matt16:24 ).

5. SINFUL PLEASURES
 The younger son had his affections on the
sinful pleasures of the world when he left
home
(Luke 15:11-32).
 The Galatians were warned not to go back
to the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-
21)
 Paul stressed where sinful pleasures will
lead in Romans 1:18-32—rejecting God,
and exchanging the natural with the
unnatural.
 We all need the good sense exhibited by
Moses who chose-(Hebrews 11:25).

6. THE WORLD
 If one gets everything the world has to
offer…. (1 John 2:16).
 Paul underscores the worldly affections in
2 Timothy 3:1-8.
 I am sure that some of the saddest words
ever written by Paul were these: 2 Tim
4:10 -11

7. MONEY
 We have seen people destroy themselves
and their families, for money.
 We have seen people forsake the worship
assemblies and thus grow weak spiritually,
for money.
 We have seen people leave the Lord, for
money.
 It was for money that Judas sold the Lord!
 1 Tim 6:9-10

8. LOVE FOR PREEMINENCE OR
PRAISE
 “Diotrephes, who loveth to have the
preeminence” (3 John 9).
 Here was a “leader” in the church who
ruined himself because of his love for
preeminence.
 We all have seen this in action.

9. SET YOUR AFFECTIONS ON:
 Not all of these things are bad of
themselves, but when they redirect our
affection away from God, they become
evil.
 Now, let us notice what the Bible tells us
to set our affections upon.

10. GOD
 Let us love him “with all thy heart, and
with all thy soul, and with all thy mind”
(Matt.22:37).
 When one considers all the things made
manifest by the love of God for us, we
should be motivated to love God
supremely.
 It is sad that Jesus had to say of some,
“ye have not the love of God in
yourselves” (John 5:42).

11. CHRIST
 Paul’s statement is forceful: “If any man
love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be
Anathema Maranatha” (1 Cor.16:22).
 Some might wonder how they can know if
they truly love the Christ.
 Considering the great sacrifice He made
for us, we should love Him greatly.
 Jesus made it easy to know if we love
him. “If ye love me, ye will keep my
commandments”
(John 14:15).

12. THE BIBLE
 This should be the sentiment of every
Christian.
 The Bible contains words of truth that
lead to everlasting life.
 The Bible is the only book in the world
that reveals God to mankind, and tells
mankind what God expects from him,.
 Paul dealt with some “who believed not
the truth, but had pleasure in
unrighteousness”

13. THE CHURCH
 The value of the church is seen in the fact
that …. Eph.5:25-27
 Certainly, if we love the Christ, we will
love his church.
 When I think that the church is that
“which he purchased with his own blood”
(Acts 20:28) and that it is that to which
the saved are added (Acts 2:41,47), I am
moved to want to do all I can to promote
His church to the world.

14. MY BRETHREN
 One of the characteristics of saved folks
is that they exhibit “unfeigned love of
the brethren”
(1 Peter 1:22).
 It is the desire, yea, the effort of every
faithful child of God to “let love of the
brethren continue” (Heb.13:1).
 As we mingle among those for whom the
Lord died, we want to “be tenderly
affectioned one to another” (Romans
12:10).

15. THE LOST
 Jesus “came to seek and to save that
which was lost” (Luke 19:10).
 Are we not commanded to be like Jesus?
 “God so loved the world, that he gave his
only begotten Son” (John 3:16).
 If heaven loved the lost this much, how
can I not love them enough to make an
effort to help them learn how to be
saved?
 Why is it so hard to get Christians to talk
about salvation on a daily basis with those
whom they know?

16. CONCLUSION
 Affections are powerful things.
 Where we have placed our affections may
very well determine where we live in
eternity.
 It is so easy today to become distracted
and set our affections where they should
not be.
 The temptation is great, but the
assurances from God are sufficient to help
us make the proper decisions.